The new Lightscribe laser etching system has been designed and built specifically for the flexible packaging, speciality films and paper and graphic arts industries and can make laser etched images and patterns up to 60 * 60 inches in size (1.5 * 1.5m). Akin to engine turned pattern, the Lightscribe can make sophisticated and beautiful silver-white reflective patterns by scribing lines as thin as 5 microns into the surface of a suitable recording medium. These can easily be replicated by using embossing or casting processes such as those used in the holographic industry.

The Lightscribe is based on Sitech's award winning and industry proven large format holographic mastering technology and utilises super high precision linear stages to translate a photoresist coated plate on which the image or pattern is created. A 405 nm violet diode laser coupled with a dedicated state-of-the-art 2D scanner is used to scan a single focussed laser beam onto the plate. The focal point of the laser is kept to with 1 micron (1,000th of a millimetre) of the surface of the plate using a sophisticated auto-focussing system. With a 900 cps - 2.5 m/s drawing speed and a 15 m/s positioning speed the system can create a laser etched vector image or pattern in a matter of minutes.

Once the image or pattern has been exposed the plate is processed to form a surface relief master. This in turn can be used to create the embossing shims needed for production of the patterned film or paper.

The Lightscribe can create an infinite variety of images and patterns by combining millions of microscopic line vectors, circles or optical 'Fresnel' lens effects.

The Lightscribe system is supplied with equally impressive software. Sitech's Lightgate Pattern Maker can create seamless large format patterns which can be saved in either bitmap or vector formats for use with the Lightscribe. Lightscribe Control orchestrates all aspects of the laser etching process and includes on-the-fly bitmap to vector data conversion.